Cabinet approves continuation of 'Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology' scheme at cost of Rs 2177 crore

New Delhi [India], November 24 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday gave its approval for the continuation of the umbrella scheme 'Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)' of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for implementation during the period 2021-26 at an overall cost of Rs 2,177 crore.
O-SMART being a multidisciplinary continuing scheme, the ongoing extensive research and technology development activities would augment capacity building of the nation in the oceanographic field at the international level, an official release said.
The present decade has been declared as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development by the United Nations (UN) and the continuation of the scheme would strengthen India's stand in the global oceanographic research and technology development, it added.
The release said that the continuation of the scheme would contribute significantly towards national policy on blue economy for effective and efficient use of the vast ocean resources in a sustainable way.
"In the next five years, this scheme would provide further comprehensive coverage through strengthening the ongoing activities towards delivering cutting-edge technology applicable for the marine domain, forecast and warning services to various coastal stakeholders, understanding biodiversity towards conservation strategy for marine living organisms and understanding coastal processes. The scheme encompasses seven sub-schemes," it said.